The Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program (WHIP) provides Hillsdale College undergraduates the opportunity to participate in academically intensive, semester-long internships or teaching apprenticeships in the Washington, D.C., while continuing their Hillsdale education.

WHIP students have the opportunity to intern for the White House, Congressional offices and committees, various think-tanks, media and news outlets, national security agencies, lobbying firms, international trade organizations, or private sector companies. In addition, WHIP students interested in pursuing a career in teaching can elect to apprentice at select charter and private schools in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area thanks to a special partnership with the College's education department.

Hillsdale’s Kirby Center, which serves as a base for the program, includes classrooms, a library, and a lecture hall. WHIP students take classes in the building, attend the Center's frequent lectures, take classes in the building, and meet with notable scholars, journalists, and policymakers during their semester in Washington.

In addition to their internships or apprenticeships, WHIP students select two or three academic courses. Offerings might include “American National Security Studies,” “The US and the World Since 1945,” and “Constitutional History of the United States.”

WHIP students also participate in a variety of activities sponsored by the Kirby Center. Opportunities might include visits to the Civil War battlefield at Antietam and George Washington's historic estate at Mount Vernon or tours of the Pentagon and the FBI Headquarters.

Students live in either the Hillsdale House (a renovated townhouse on Capitol Hill) or in other College-arranged housing on Capitol Hill.

For more information on the Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program, please email WHIP@hillsdale.edu.

“There are internship opportunities for all kinds of majors, from leading science organizations to major businesses. WHIP is a great opportunity to expand horizons and build off of the liberal arts education in pursuit of the good, the true, and the beautiful.”